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Think droplets can't dance? Now, a new method of trapping tiny drops can drive them to move to the beat.

Developed by Ya-Pu Zhao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team, the system encapsulates tiny quantities of liquid by using a dynamic electric field. A droplet is wrapped in a thin film and when a changing voltage is applied, the duo starts to move up and down. "The vibration of the droplet makes it look like it is tap dancing while the flexible film seems like its dancing skirt," write the researchers.

During the dance, the droplet lies flat on the surface when the voltage reaches its peak, allowing it to be unwrapped in a controllable and reversible way. The technique could be useful for encapsulating drugs or making new microdevices.

Thrill seekers will want to try out this new extreme sport. In this video, you can watch competitive skydivers from three teams - Skywalkers, Team4Speed, and Volare - perform a first-of-its-kind air dance inside a chamber. Fans in the floor blow air at speeds ranging from 240 to 250 kilometres per hour, which is enough to counteract the force of gravity and allow the dancers to flip their bodies in a jaw-dropping routine.

While such displays are not yet part of a competition circuit, Team4Speed member Raph Coudray says they are hoping to organise a contest at the ParacleteXP skydiving championships in North Carolina next year. "We will be there!" he says.

It's probably the best party trick you could wish for - the ability to produce lightning out of your own head. But if you thought it was a talent reserved for superheroes, take a look at this video, which shows performers who appear to produce lightning on demand. If you want to find out how they achieve this feat, all is revealed here.

You might also enjoy this video of gigantic jets shooting out from thunderclouds.